Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Kalimpong Police Distribute Portable Alarms to Support Women’s Safety
Kalimpong police are giving women small alarms to carry in their bags.
A person can set one off by pulling a string.
It makes a very loud sound.
Police hope the noise will surprise someone who might attack and alert people nearby.
Around 140 alarms have been collected since the programme began about two weeks ago.
Many recipients are leaving Kalimpong to study or work elsewhere.
The idea came from discussions about ways to help women feel safer.
Some people in those discussions thought pepper spray might be hard to use quickly.
Police say the alarm is meant to add to their work, not replace it.
Kalimpong police are giving women portable personal alarms free of charge.
The alarm attaches to a handbag and is activated by pulling a string.
Superintendent of Police Aparajita Rai said it produces a 130-decibel sound intended to deter attackers and attract nearby attention.
About 140 devices have been collected since the initiative began around two weeks ago, mostly by women leaving Kalimpong for work or study.
Police said the idea followed discussions about women’s safety, where some participants considered pepper spray cumbersome to use in an emergency.
- Who
- Kalimpong police, led by Superintendent of Police Aparajita Rai, are distributing alarms to women.
- What
- Police are providing free, handbag-sized alarms that sound when a string is pulled.
- When
- The distribution began about two weeks before the article was published.
- Where
- Kalimpong, through the Kalimpong Women Cell and Jaldhaka police station.
- Why
- The alarms are intended to deter potential attackers and attract nearby help, particularly for women leaving familiar surroundings for work or study.
- Cost
- Distributed free of charge
- Sound level
- 130 decibels, according to Aparajita Rai
- Devices collected
- Around 140 since the initiative began
- Distribution period
- About two weeks as of the article
- Distribution channels
- Kalimpong Women Cell and Jaldhaka police station
- Rehabilitation referrals
- Police figures say 215 people have been sent for rehabilitation over the past few years; 164 are reported abstinent
- Rehabilitation course
- Normally lasts five months, according to Rai